Examine some of
the ways in which the mass media may create negative images of certain social
groups.
Written by Fleur Robilliard (Feb 2008)
The idea that people with blonde hair are stupid,
Women are bad drivers and Boys canÕt play netball are all stereotypes that in some
cases are enforced by the media and society as a whole. They play a big part in
creating negative images of those that they are aimed at.
In this essay, I will begin by defining the term
Mass media, I will then follow up this definition by suggesting numerous
different mediums of mass media and how they can be used to create negative
images of certain groups. I will then go on to give examples of such images
that they create, To balance this argument, I will also refer briefly to the
positive effects that media can have using the same methods for positive rather
than negatives.
Mass media:
The term mass media refers to the forms of media
that are intended to reach large groups of people at the same time and can
include any method of communication that is delivered to an audience by a third
party for example a journalist. Examples of mass media can include Newspapers,
Television and Radio. In all of these forms, the content of the Paper,
Programme or show is all mediated by producers and editors along with large
numbers of writers and contributors and thus all of these people have some
influence over the final product that the audience sees and hears and as a
result has the power to create positive and negative images.
It is also therefore important to note that when
considering the ways in which the media can create negative images of certain
social groups that the people that produce the material are also being
influenced themselves by other forms of media.
Internet:
The internet, is the fastest growing form of mass
media, however, unlike other forms the internet is becoming increasingly more
difficult to mediate and monitor and is therefore is a prime example of ways in
which the mass media can create images of certain social groups. In the same
way in which schools, colleges and Universities make data available to
students, at the touch of a button people can log on and find information and
groups that share their views and ideas. This can be demonstrated by websites
such as Red Watch the anti- socialist website activist website. This site
contains information and photographs of hundreds of individuals many of whom
were photographed on anti- British National Party marches and the site now
harbours their pictures and in the case of some their home addresses and had
lead to many people being attacked as a result. There have been calls for this
site amongst others to be shut down however; the primary problem with this is
the very fact the site, despite being run from the UK is registered in the US.
This demonstrates the ways in which the mass
media can create negative images of certain social groups, in this case, by
taking advantage of the fact that this medium cannot be moderated successfully
and effectively.
Newspapers and media models:
Newspapers are another form of mass media an as a
result has the ability to influence large numbers of people. The traditional
Marxist model of media suggests that it is a small number of people i.e. the
owners such as Rupert Murdoch that control what goes into various forms of mass
media that they have and therefore they can present favourable views and
opinions of people and groups depending on the relationship that they have with
those individuals.
The Hegemonic model suggests that it is not only
the influence of certain individuals such as the owners but it also open to the
influence of those that work for them, therefore, the media industry is
primarily influenced by workers that tend to be white middle class people. As a
result of this, it can be argued that there will be a resulting biased views
presented by the media in this case.
The pluralist model however suggests that
although the media is influenced by all those that are involved in or own the
product, it is also influenced by the audience. The model suggests that the
public would not buy newspapers, watch programmes or listen to the radio if
they did not like what was being given to them. If this was the case, the
businessÕ that
produces the various forms of mass media would not be able to survive.
Whatever the case may be, it can be argued that
the media does create negative views of certain social groups. Over the years
there has been increasing criticisms of the negative media images that the
papers create of certain groups, particularly religion. Headlines that the
media have produced have only served to enforce the stereotypes that society
has. The fact that media produce stories on major international issues has lead
to these few people committing particular crimes stereotyping everybody who
shares the same background. This is something that is only too obvious with the
terrorist attacks on the twin towers. The press for weeks after the event was
covered in photographs and eyewitness accounts of the catastrophic event that
gripped New York and the world on the 11th September 2001. The media saturating its audience like this
leads to the audience having little else to consider or discuss and does not
assist in the formation of positive attitudes. The fact that these terrorist attacks are being carried out
by extremists of the Islamic faith has subsequently caused these images to be
spread across the world and has lead to people generalising and stereotyping by
the mass audience.
The same can be said for young people the media
tend to represent young people as youths loitering around on street corners
late at night, wearing hoodies and drinking cheap alcohol with the occasional
piece intimidation of the token
elderly person in the vicinity, where for the vast majority of young people this
is not the case. An example of the bad press that young people can be seen in
the media virtually every day with headlines such as ÒGood Samaritan dies after
going to aid of unconscious youth in streetÓ and ÒMcConnell to tag youth tearawaysÓ all of these add to the
creation of negative images of these groups. These negative images are not
helped by the media presenting the Labour Party ridiculing David Cameron with
the the term ÒHug a Hoodie.Ó
The media has highlighted the main stories in the
headlines surrounding young people to the point that eighty per cent believed
unfair portrayal in the media led to strained relations with older generations
according to a study involving 750 young people in an online poll for the
British Youth Council (BYC) and YouthNet. This demonstrates the way that young
people feel stereotyped by the media and as a result the society in which they
live.
The papers arguably create negative views of
certain groups In short by focusing on the wrong doings of the minority of
these groups in an attempt to put them in the relevant ÒboxesÓ and define them rather than
to focus on the more positive points.
Similar issues have been created with statements
made on the headlines of national newspapers. An example of this being the
statement made on the front cover of the Independent that created much outrage
ÒAfricans are less intelligent than westerners says DNA pioneer WatsonÓ was
published in the independent on 17th October 2007 which provoked
uproar when it was claimed that black people were less intelligent than their
white counterparts and that Òequal powers of reason that were shared across
racial groups was a delusion.Ó To have this as a front page headline could have
had a negative effect even at the audiences first glance especially young
people who may see it but read on and form an opinion that may not be an
accurate one.
Radio:
Radio is another form of mass media that from
time to time had been known for creating negative images of certain social
groups. Radio as with all mass media forms can reach large numbers of people very
quickly. Radio shows are invariably hosted by one or two hosts who discuss
varied topics that are featured on TV and in the newspapers and are generally
loosely related to current affairs at the time. Due to the relative spontaneity
of radio, there is the opportunity for negative views to be created very
easily. Views and opinions can be shared over the phone by listeners and the
topics discussed amongst the hosts can quickly generate negative images of
certain social groups even with a passing a flippant comment about somebodyÕs occupation, what the
contestants of reality TV shows did or a certain celebrity mishap. Although the
majority of things said are designed to generate a response from listeners, to
the younger, more easily influenced, people may pick up these views and they
could therefore make a damaging impression on those people. Demonstrating
another way in which the media can create a negative images of certain groups
Acceptance of the negative views:
However, in contrast to this view it can be
argued from the perspectives of the relevant models of media such as that of
the pluralist model i.e. the idea that if the audience did not like or agree
with the content of the newspaper, then they would not buy the papers itself.
It can therefore be taken that people are accepting the views that are being
presented to them by the media and potentially, these views that the media are
presenting are not being perceived as wrong or exaggerated by the consumers and
may therefore not have an effect on the views that society holds on certain
groups in society.
It can also be argued that the media is not to
blame for the negative views that society holds on individuals even though they
do produce negative images of certain social groups. Although they may be demonstrating
certain views to a wide audience, these views are just that, views. They do not
become truth if until the people that consume these forms of media begin to
believe them and stereotype all people from certain groups as the same for
example if the newspapers said that people with blonde hair were all stupid,
this would only become problematic to society if people believed the statement
and started behaving accordingly such as only employing people with brown hair
for example.
Having considered these arguments is possible to
conclude that the mass media can
create negative images of individuals in numerous ways but by primarily
focusing on the negatives rather than the positive aspects of social groups
that as a result create negative images in society as a whole. However, it can
be argued from the perspective of the pluralist model that society approves of
these negative images or else they would not continue to consume this form of
media. The negative images also only become a problem if society accepts them
and behaves differently as a result.
Bibliography:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5163798.stm
http://www.headsup.org.uk/content/default.asp?page=s27_3
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3354177.ece
http://www.headliners.org/storylibrary/stories/2007/internet_and_racism.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/oct/04/news.g2
AS
citizenship - Rowley and Blewitt - Hodder 2007